Ole Miss (11-6) at Georgia (11-5)
GAME NOTES: Looking to build on a two-game win streak, the Georgia Bulldogs will host the Ole Miss Rebels in an SEC clash at Stegeman Coliseum on Tuesday.
Georgia took down Vanderbilt (70-67) and Florida (73-61) to reach an 11-5 record and even its conference mark at 2-2. In the Bulldogs' last six games, the team has won four, and owns an 8-1 mark on their home court.
Ole Miss comes in boasting an 11-6 record after easily taking down Arkansas, the highest scoring team in the SEC, 96-82. The Rebels have won two of their last three games, and are 3-2 on the road this season.
This meeting between Ole Miss and Georgia will be the 110th all-time in the series. Georgia owns the advantage over the Rebels, 68-41, and has won the last two head-to-head matchups. In Athens, the Bulldogs are 38-12 against Ole Miss.
Arkansas was ranked No. 19 in the country before running up against Ole Miss. The Razorbacks, who possessed the highest scoring offense in the SEC, allowed the Rebels to net 56.4 percent of their shots from the floor, and sent Ole Miss to the free-throw line for 30 attempts, of which the Rebels made 26. Five Ole Miss players scored in double figures, led by Stefan Moody's 18 points. Jarvis Summers chipped in with 17, Sebastian Saiz and Dwight Coleby each added 12 (Coleby recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds as well), and LaDarius White contributed 10 points in the win. Summers turned the ball over five times for Ole Miss, but he also dished out seven assists.
Moody and Summers have battled back and forth for the top scoring spot on the Rebels this season. Moody currently leads the team with 14.9 ppg, followed closely by Summers's 14.5 ppg. Summers does lead the team with 62 assists, however. White is the third and final double-digit scorer for the Rebels this season, adding in 11.9 ppg to a unit averaging 74.9 ppg (fourth in the SEC) on 43.9 percent shooting. M.J. Rhett, the Tennessee State transfer, leads the Rebels in rebounding, averaging 5.2 boards per outing.
Both Georgia and Florida had a strong outing offensively in their head-to-head matchup on Saturday. The Bulldogs allowed the Gators to net 50 percent of their shots from the field, but Georgia connected on 56.1 percent of their tries, including 8-of-15 from 3-point range, to take the 12-point victory. Marcus Thornton and Kenny Gaines each scored 16 points to lead the Bulldogs on Saturday, with Thornton adding six rebounds to his stat line. J.J. Frazier chipped in with 11 points and six assists, and Charles Mann scored 10 points in the win.
The Bulldogs find themselves right behind Ole Miss in the SEC's scoring department. Georgia is netting 72.7 ppg this season behind 46.1 percent shooting from the field. The team is also allowing only 65.7 ppg to opponents, who have been connecting on 39.3 percent of their attempts. Thornton leads the Bulldogs in scoring, averaging 13.9 ppg with a team-best 7.5 rpg. Gaines (12.4 ppg), Mann (11.7 ppg) and Nemanja Djurisic (11.1) round out a group of players averaging double digits. Thornton's 7.5 rpg mark ranks fifth in the SEC this season.
Ole Miss hasn't had much of an issue going on the road to face opponents this season, but Georgia has been near unbeatable at Stegeman Coliseum. The only loss the team suffered at home was to the very Razorbacks that the Rebels beat in their most recent win. Still, the Bulldogs should be ready for an up-tempo game here.
Georgia 72, Ole Miss 68